OCR Text |
Show OPPOSING FORCES. !D. M. Party, the whilom president of the National Na-tional Citizen's Industrial Tnion, has repeatedly taken advantage of that posi ion of dubious honor to vent his envenomed spleei against labor unionism. union-ism. "His retirement, thcrefo e, might be hailed by all patriotic citizens with n ich joy, wore it not for one unfortunate circumstance: the announcement announce-ment that that organizatioi has decided upon prosecuting an even more ajgressive campaign in the future under the leadership of Parry's successor, succes-sor, C. M. Post of Battle Cr ek, Mich. It is to be sadly deplored'that men of this rash and reckless ilk cannot be summarily squelched. To deliberately undertake to nlhlessly deprive the toiling producers of the land of one of their constitutional con-stitutional rights, is to engage ina criminal conspiracy con-spiracy implicit if not, explicit; and the conspiracy con-spiracy is all the more reproiensible because the. conspirators are men of larje affairs prominent manufacturers and because their methods are to ha those of craft and cunning! And this suggests an additional reason why the wage-earners should receije the sympathy and support of all fair-minded people in their resistance resist-ance to the. unjust aggression? of corporate greed and rapacity. The votaries of the latter'may ply iheir nefarious schemes, directed against the sacred interests of their employes, without arousing the attention of the public; whils the latter have but one means of defending thosi interests, viz: to "strike." It thus happens that an employer can force upon his employes intollcrably onerous con- ditions, or compel them to hate recourse to a measure that will necessarily invite upon them the blame of the public for any inconvenience that the latter may experience on aeeotnt of any conflict that may result. j The grievous injustice of this state of affairs must become apparent to. all fho will give it a moment's reflection. As, under prevailing conditions, condi-tions, the strike is the wage-earners' only defence against the injustice of their employers, they arc assuredly entitled to the moral support of a favor-.able favor-.able public sentiment whenever they' engage in such a conflict for a good and sufficient cause. To be sure, it is all but impossible for the public to determine the essential merits cf a controversy between be-tween employes and employers in many instances, but the burden of proof should clearly rest with the latter: the people should accord the toiling masses their sympathy and support, unless they be clearly shown that the demands they would enforce by means of a strike or unjust and unreasonable. And this, the sole means at the command of wage-earners to protect themselves against tho greed of conscienceless employers, is only available through labor organizations. Any attempt, there-Tore, there-Tore, lo crush these organizations should meet with the strenuous opposition of the public. Aside from the inalienable right of peacefully organizing for any lawful purpose which consideration should of itself amply suffice to deter any law and order loving lov-ing citizen from entering into a conspiracy to defeat de-feat such right the fact that the sacred weal of a numerous and a most deserving class of American citizens absolutely depends upon'" an unimpeded exercise of that sacred right, should enlist in their behalf the ardent sympathy and unquallified support sup-port of every right-minded and patriotic citizen. It is earnestly to be hoped that the pernicious machinations of "The National Citizens Industrial Indus-trial Union"' will be discountenanced whenever and wherever it shows its head. The sooner the! men that compose its membership are taught to realize that labor unionism is here to stay, the better it will be for the peace and prosperity of the American Ameri-can nation. 4- |